When working with large and complex systems, like commercial aircraft, personnel such as mechanics, technicians, and inspectors often need to access coordinate data at their current position, as well as position data for specific parts. Some available positioning systems allow an instrument to determine its position and orientation in relation to a known object. Many of these systems require substantial capital investment and are large enough that usually they require some type of grounded support.
Commercially available systems include video camera based systems, laser based systems, GPS based systems, and RFID triangulation based systems. Video camera based systems include multi-camera position and orientation capture systems, single camera pixel-based image systems, and single camera position and orientation software. Examples of laser based systems include interferometer based systems, electronic distance measurement laser-based systems, surveying and construction equipment laser systems. GPS and differential GPS based systems receive signals from orbiting GPS satellites and therefore work best outdoors where there is a clear line of sight to the orbiting GPS satellites. RFID based systems triangulate their position from signals received from multiple transmitters that are set up around the perimeter of the work area.